1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an end plating machine for a wood tie and more particularly to a machine for end plating a wood tie wherein the opposite ends of the tie are simultaneously end plated in an automatic fashion without the need of the end plates being initially hand-tacked onto the ends of the tie.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cross ties and switch ties for use in the railroad industry are normally formed from green wood and frequently develop splits in the ends thereof during the seasoning process. It has been found desirable and necessary to close the splits or cracks in the ends of the tie and to maintain the same in that condition by means of nail plates, dowels, S-irons, etc., to extend the useful life of the tie. Many prior art devices have been provided for squeezing or clamping the ends of a tie together and then driving a nail plate or end plate into the ends thereof. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,513,900 and 4,657,168. In the prior art end plating machines, the ties are fed into the end plating machine with the end plates being initially partially hand-tacked onto the ends of the tie to maintain the end plates in position until the ends of the tie have been squeezed or clamped and the power ram has driven the end plates into the ends of the tie. The requirement that the end plates be initially partially hand-tacked onto the ends of the tie adds additional time and labor to the end plating process.